Crooked

what does or what doesn't scream for our attention

One morning I noticed the street lights all along a half-mile stretch of road that I travel frequently. I wondered why I hadn’t noticed them before. Then I realized it was because one of them was obviously crooked. It jumped out at me because we had just recently experienced some bad weather (assuming that is what caused the street light to be bent). However, I wondered why I never noticed the straight ones before.

Funny how we don’t often notice when things are what we expect. Straight, in place or right where they are supposed to be, such as plants coming up out of the soil, friends calling at the right time, or having enough money to buy groceries. Maybe a car that is dependable or a pet that is always there when you need them. All are great examples of being in the right place, at the right time, doing what they are supposed to do. And then we move on. We strive to have things in order and in the right place so that we don’t notice them anymore.

So which should it be? Crooked or straight? If it is beautiful when its not perfect, why strive to make it perfect? Am I being too analytical? Maybe you’re thinking, “This is all good, why focus on the bad things?” And you’re right, it’s great to focus on the good things! It’s important actually. Should we focus on the straight street lights? Ha! Maybe not. It’s just fascinating to me how sometimes, even our own curiosity doesn’t make us stop and pause until its wrong, hurting or crooked…

Those of you who know me, know I love the movie, “Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” In the movie Sean O’Connell quotes, “Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.” He is talking about a “ghost cat” (a snow leopard he was trying to photograph that rarely showed itself.) The ghost cat is physically beautiful but the other attractive part of this creature is that it isn’t trying so hard to get the photographer’s attention! Sometimes in this world we try so hard to force getting noticed instead of allowing our uniqueness to reveal itself naturally. When something is really beautiful it doesn’t need to scream, “Look at me!”

It probably is a good idea for the city to fix the light so it doesn’t draw attention to itself. It is functional and not meant to be noticed. Keeping the light crooked would be disruptive. The fact that it was crooked wasn’t without purpose though. It caused me to realize, good or bad, that God shows us things. He gives us discernment. If it is ugly or beautiful, crooked or straight, God will show us what we need to fix (or not) if we ask Him.

Chris (as always, with Marilyn’s help!)

(Take a look the rustic/not perfect pita pockets in this post on my website!)
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Some ingredients used in the not so perfect pitas:

Jovial all purpose flour (eikorn)

Which is the best type of flour for the Gut?

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